(Reuters) - English soccer club Manchester United said it was likely to maintain revenue around last year's record level in 2017-18 as it returns to the lucrative European Champions League.

United, whose top players include Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, are currently joint top of the English Premier League and have qualified for the Champions League after winning the second-tier Europa League last season.

Controlled by the American Glazer family, United forecast revenue of between 575 million pounds and 585 million pounds in 2017-18.

That would be broadly in line with record revenue of 581 million pounds ($782.8 million) in the year to June 30.

United reported core profit of 199.8 million pounds in the year. That figure was likely to slip to between 175-185 million pounds in the current year.